Physical theatre company Motionhouse come to HOME in Manchester with their
brand new production Charge, on Tue 17 & Wed 18 Oct.

The company’s new multimedia dance-circus show, ideal for audiences aged seven upwards, is inspired by energy: from the electrical charge that sparks human life, to the
beating of our hearts and the memories we make.

Six performers use the highly physical dance and acrobatics synonymous with Motionhouse to delve deep into the human body, tracing the incredible story of energy in our lives.

Digital projections create a world on stage where dancers and images interact
seamlessly, bringing to life stories of energy in our own bodies and humans as
energy manipulators.

Charge is the third element of Motionhouse Artistic Director Kevin Finnan’s ‘Earth Trilogy’, developing on themes explored in Scattered (2009) and Broken (2013), about our relationship with water and the Earth.

Finnan, who was Choreographer and Movement Director of the Opening
Ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, is at the helm of the project,
working closely with the company and an established creative team to bring to
life his vision for Charge.

Charge is a unique collaboration between art and science: Motionhouse is
working with science partner Professor Frances Ashcroft and her team from the
University of Oxford on the role of electricity in the human body, to support the
creative and choreographic process, putting science at the heart of artistic
practice.

“The piece is an incredible collaboration between artists and scientists,” explains
Finnan. “Bringing multiple disciplines together to create one piece of work is
really exciting for me. I find the science that inspired the show fascinating and I
want to use this to create a show for audiences to enjoy, but which also makes
them think and feel about the role energy plays in our lives. I want to use dance
and the onstage world I am going to create to give audiences new perspectives
on energy and some of the science behind it.”

Charge will be supported by an education programme including online
resources, teacher packs and workshops to enable young or non-scientific
audiences to explore the science that inspired the production.

Following on from the extraordinary success of Scattered and Broken, Charge
will be a must-see for dance, circus and theatre lovers, but also for those
interested in art, digital imagery, motion graphics and graphic design, as well as
those interested in the science behind the production.